Peace at any price? What experts say about the desire of Romanians to have better relations with Russia

Romanians want peace and security in the area, even if this involves the reintroduction of the mandatory army or a good collaboration with Russia, a country under embargo at the EU level. Experts in political relations and economics consulted by “Adevărul” explained the answers given by Romanians to an opinion poll.

Romanians' opinions regarding the introduction of the mandatory army are equally divided. Photo by Shutterstock

Political scientist Andrei Țăranu shows though “the population of Romania is very pro-Western at this moment, naturally, not only the Romanian society, but the world society suffers a strong cognitive dissonance. We are at a time when political-socio-economic paradigms, shall we say, are changing dramatically. What until yesterday was a value, today turns out to be more of a counter value. See the speech they have in the United States. Hence the cognitive dissonance. The West, until January 7, 2025, was with the United States and the European Union. Today the two are completely different. The United States on the one hand, the European Union on the other.”

In other words, support for the Western world is strong among the Romanian population, but “the Western worldUm it's not the same anymore“, points out the expert.

For his part, Robert Santa, public policy expert and coordinator of the research activity of the Rethink Romania think-tank, told “truth” that the general direction of the survey is clear, showing that Romanians want the end of Russia's war with Ukraine and have positive feelings in the relationship with the army, wanting peace and security.

“The question of ending the war has two dimensions, so only some answer directly. Related to the establishment of the mandatory army, the Romanians expressed their desire to defend, but not personally or with members of their family, although it seems that they want a professional army… it may just be nostalgia. However, it is extremely interesting what they answer, because it is a trend throughout Europe. Let's see if the European norm will change” said Santa to “truth“.

The public policy expert explained that there may be more personal opinions behind Yes or No answers. “Romanians want peace, but the instruments they indicate to achieve peace differ”explained Robert Santa.

Negrescu: Some Romanians want a collaborative relationship with Russia

For his part, analyst Adrian Negrescu shows that a good part of Romanians have nothing against the relationship with Moscow, according to the survey.

“The poll shows, in essence, that Romanians want this war to end faster. It also reveals one more essential thing – the majority understands the security danger in which Romania is and believes that we need to prepare for any situation. The introduction of mandatory military service, the strengthening of security relations with the USA, with NATO, the awareness of the danger from Moscow, all this confirms a mature perception of reality, beyond the speculations, the conspiracy theories on Tiktok.

And there is another interesting thing. The fact that there is a part of the population that wants economic relations with Moscow, with the Russian capital. In other words, let's build a collaborative relationship with all our neighbors, including Russia, which, in principle, does not sound bad. But the big question mark remains about how harmful relations with Russia can be. We have Russian investments in Romania, so far there have been no problems. Probably, the opinion of these people starts from this perspective”, Negrescu declared for “truth“.

Economist Radu Nechita: Compulsory army is not a solution in modern war

Economist Radu Nechita, professor at UBB, told “truth” that the results of a survey depend very much on the way in which the questions are formulated.

“If you ask me what I think about the relationship with Russia, I could tell you that it could be a good one, but not with Putin! It would be wonderful to have a relationship with Russia, but you can't have a relationship with Russia while Putin is in power. The embargo (imposed in relations with Russia – n. ed.) is used when the person using it believes that it hurts the other more. Everyone has something to lose in this embargo game, but using embargo is cheaper than military force. As for conscription, it is a measure that I personally do not agree with.

The military must be paid. The military should be a profession, not a volunteer. I joined the army! Such an army as it was made before 1989 does not provide a solution in modern warfare. Mechanisms must be found to really ensure the defense of the country”said professor Radu Nechita for “Adevărul.

“Opinions are divided precisely because there are no concrete data”

Radu Carp, professor of law and political science, is of the opinion that the high score of those who tend towards closer economic relations with Russia, in fact, also indicates a lack of information:

“First of all, it is debatable to what extent you can subject to an opinion poll issues related to international politics, without providing some additional details. Because, although we see domestic politics, where information circulates faster, in the field of foreign policy, information circulates, in Romania and not only, in much more specialized environments. So, before asking these questions, you must provide the respondent with some background details.

I mean, if you ask such a question about relations with Russia, you have to say exactly what the volume of trade is currently, what is covered by sanctions, what is not covered by sanctions, and what is the potential. If you ask such a simple question, people just don't know what to answer. I see this score as actually not something bad or good, but simply an inability to answer. 49% is almost 50%. So opinions are divided precisely because there are no concrete data”.

The high percentage in the urban environment of those who agree with a closer economic relationship with Russia no longer has any relevance, he added, pointing out that in other countries this division is no longer used.

“Polls in Romania, the separation between medium-urban, medium-rural have started to become irrelevant. Because medium-urban also means Ilfov County, or the majority of those who work in Bucharest or have moved from Bucharest. This division no longer has any relevance in Romania.” explains Radu Carp.

Half of Romanians want closer economic relations with Moscow

A survey carried out by Avangarde between 27.12.2025 and 30.12.2025 indicates that Romanians are dissatisfied with relations with the USA or with Russia, believing that peace in Ukraine should be signed under the conditions imposed by the USA.

If peace in Ukraine were to be negotiated under the conditions imposed by the US, do you think it should be signed under these conditions?

68% of respondents indicate “yes” while 18% indicate “no”.

However, the answers differ according to the urban or rural environment. The percentage of those who do not agree with this statement in rural areas is higher than in urban areas.

Do you personally think that if Romania were attacked by the Russian Federation, our country would be defended by NATO?

74% indicate “yes” and 17% answered “no”.

Trust in the USA is decreasing in the case of those from rural areas, the percentages being changed in the opposite direction by more than 10%.

From your point of view, should mandatory military service be reintroduced in Romania?

In this regard, opinions are almost equally divided. 49% think so, and 47% think it should not be introduced. This opinion is accentuated in rural areas, while in urban areas the opinion is that military service should be introduced.

From your point of view, should Romania quickly arm itself to strengthen its defense capacity?

71% indicate “yes” and 22% indicate “no”. The percentage of those who believe that a faster arming would be needed is higher in urban areas, and those who indicate “no” are more numerous in rural areas.

Are you personally satisfied with the level of bilateral relations between Romania and the USA?

36 indicated “yes” and 56% indicated “no”. The most numerous dissatisfactions are in the urban environment.

Considering the way the Russian Federation looks today, economically speaking, do you think Romania should have closer economic relations with it?

48% answered “yes” while 49% answered “no”. The percentage of those who believe that a closer relationship is needed is higher in the urban environment compared to the rural one. In the countryside, the opinion is that there is no need for a closer relationship.

The survey was conducted on a sample of 1000 respondents, using the CATI method. The maximum sampling error, at a 95% confidence level, is +/- 3.4%. Avangarde is owned by sociologist Marius Pieleanu.